This project involves the redevelopment of one of the UK’s oldest and most respected cinemas, The Empire in Leicester Square, to deliver a substantial international entertainment venue relevant to its prominent and highly sensitive location.

A complex mix of uses include world class cinema, casino, hotel, office and dining within a 60m tall volume – half of which is below ground – designed to conceal its substantial massing whilst creating maximum impact at street level with only 15m of frontage. Our approach carefully responds to the immediate heritage context, which includes boundaries with eleven listed buildings.

Empire Casino Leicester Square Address

Empire Casino Leicester Square Location

Following research at the British Film Institute Archives and the British Library into the site’s existing narrow four storey classical façade, it was revealed to be a facsimile of a cinema in Cincinnati which had originally featured a prominent advertising billboard above.

Empire Casino Overview. Like many buildings in London, the Empire has undergone several transformations since its opening in 1884 as a theatre. It became a cinema in the 1920s and has grown to house the two-storied Empire Casino London in its iconic location overlooking Leicester Square. The Empire offers the best games, top dealers, and round-the-clock-entertainment. There are games to suit every style and mood, plus the hottest Poker room in town. Photograph 3 shows the stairs on the walkway between the Leicester Square entrance and the Poker Room, Cloak Counter, Slots Room, Reception and Main Casino area. There is/are 3 clearly marked step(s), with handrails on both sides, for access to the Main Reception and Casino area from the Leicester Square entrance and Cloak Counter.

Empire Casino Leicester Square Dress Code

The narrow frontage addressing Leicester Square acts as the ‘face’ of the building, communicating the various uses internally. Our approach was to retain a stripped-down version of the classical facade, adding a 225 sqm permeable LED screen above as a separate cantilevered volume, referencing historic cinema advertising billboards found during our research. The screen shields views into the hotel rooms behind, but offers clear views out for the occupants.

The Casino at The Empire is located at5-6 Leicester Street in the West end of London, England and is the city`s largest casino. There is over 55,000 square feet of entertainment space on two floors featuring over 100 slots, roulette, and video poker machines, 50 gaming tables, a poker room and anaffordable traditional pan-Asian restaurant as well as 4 bars and lounges, some with a la. Empire Casino: Considered to be one of the best casinos in the UK, Empire Casino is a must-visit while here. It is famous for its non stop entertainment, games, foods, and drinks. It houses a poker room and even a sports bar. Its rooftop bar offers stunning views of the glittering Leicester Square and the city skyline.

A series of secondary facades on the remaining sides of the urban block are expressed more simply to knit into the sensitive context, and conceal the massing of the development behind.

In close collaboration with leisure specialists Leonard Design Architects, we devised a strategy for the internal layouts which created usable spaces over 60 metres above and below ground.

Following detailed assessments of how each user group would navigate the space, we created a dramatic entrance spanning the full width of the façade, leading to a central volume expressed as a sinuous canyon permeating from top to bottom. Various functions emanate from this central space – hotel rooms, offices, the casino and dining spaces above ground, with cinema screens and plant occupying the lower levels.